“That isn’t what people are saying around here,” he said. “You wouldn’t be lying to cover for him, would you?”
Christy’s face turned red. “I don’t need to lie for him. He was with me.” She gritted her teeth together, glaring at him.
“I think we’re going to go get a corndog,” I said and took Christy’s hand, leading her away.
“You do that,” Aaron said with a chuckle.
We bought a corndog and then went back to my car. Once inside, I turned to her. “What’s going on, Christy?”
“What do you mean?” she asked without looking at me.
“What do you mean you were with John?” I said louder than I intended. “You were with us at the parade.” I suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“We had breakfast together at the Ghostly Grins Café,” she said without looking at me. Pink crept into her cheeks as she took a bite of her corndog.
I stared at her. “Why would you want to have breakfast with him after what he did to you? After he abandoned you and your marriage?” I was beginning to sound hysterical and I took a deep breath to calm down.
She looked at me wide-eyed. “We didn’t plan it. We just ran into each other when I stopped in at the café to get something quick to eat. The place was packed, and he already had a table, so he offered me a seat and I took it.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to this. It seemed like Christy was embarrassed that she had to admit she was with John. But maybe she had wanted to be with him. And maybe that was what worried me.
“What time were you there?” I asked her. Olivia had dark blond hair and Christy had medium brown. Rumors were flying that John had been with Olivia that morning. Had somebody mistaken Christy for Olivia? Christy was taller than Olivia by at least three inches, but if she was sitting down and if you weren’t looking closely, people might not have realized it was Christy and not Olivia.
She shot me a look. “I don’t really remember. But we had breakfast, and as soon as I was done, I headed over to the parade lineup.”
I stared at my sister. Christy wasn’t normally prone to not telling me the truth, but something didn’t feel right about this.
I stared at her. “How long would you say you were at the café with John?”
“I don’t know. Thirty minutes? Forty-five? A lot of people were lining up along the parade route and there weren’t very many people in the café by the time I left. It seemed like everyone got there ahead of us, so they were finished with breakfast before the parade started. It didn’t take long to get my food though. Why do you ask? What difference does it make?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. You know there are rumors about John being with Olivia that morning.”
“Well he wasn’t with her, he was with me. I told him I had to hurry, and I left him there to finish his breakfast. He said he would be somewhere along the parade route, and I did see him there. You did, too.”
“Yeah, I saw him, too.”
She sighed. “Why are you asking me these questions? You know John couldn’t have killed anyone. It isn’t in his nature to murder.” Her eyes went to me, frustration showing on her face. “He was standing on the sidewalk on the parade route, just like he said he would be.”
“I just want to know what happened.”
“And I just told you.”
I didn’t feel good about all of this. I should have, because if Christy was with John, then he couldn’t have murdered Olivia. That’s what I told myself as I started the car.
Chapter Sixteen
I wasn’t sure what to make of Christy’s behavior. I had never known her not to tell me the truth, but everything felt all wrong about what was going on with her. Had she been with John that morning? Or was it Olivia, like Aaron said? Ethan had also heard John was with Olivia, so there had to be some truth to the rumor, but why then, had Christy said she was with him? I wasn’t sure, but I thought there was one person who would know the truth. I didn’t know if he would tell me that truth, but I was certainly going to find out if he would.
John Green’s parents’ house sat on the edge of town. It was a large, old Craftsman home with a beautiful wraparound porch. It had been several years since I had been inside, but the woodwork detail was a wonderful example of craftsmanship from the prior century.
I stood on the front porch and waited for someone to come to the door. John’s mother had two wooden rocking chairs on the porch and there was a cool fall breeze blowing. It made me want to sit and rock for a while.
When John opened the door, his eyes went wide. “What are you doing here, Mia?”
“That’s not very hospitable of you, John,” I said crossing my arms in front of my body. “Can’t your former sister-in-law drop by and say hello?”
“Not when my former sister-in-law can’t stand me.” There was a smirk on his face, and he looked out at my car. I wondered if he expected Christy to be sitting in it. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, I just thought I’d stop by and say hello.”
“Well now, we both know that isn’t true. What do you want?”
“You’re being downright rude,” I said taking a step back. “Can I talk to
